Defender Alex made the difference for Paris Saint-Germain FC as the side from the French capital beat arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in 'Le Classique' to rejoin Montpellier Hérault SC at the top of Ligue 1.

Jérémy Menez gave PSG an early lead when he fired in after just six minutes, and January signing Alex put them back in front by heading in a Nenê corner just moments after André Ayew had restored parity for Marseille in the second half.

The hosts lost Mohamed Sissoko to a late red card, but they held on for a victory that took them onto 63 points. They trail Montpellier – who boast a game in hand – on goal difference alone.

In the lower reaches, SM Caen hauled themselves out of the bottom three courtesy of a 1-0 victory against FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Nicolas Seube burying the only goal of the game in just the second minute. The result lifted Caen to 16th, with FC Lorient slipping to 18th after they succumbed 2-0 at OGC Nice – who now lie two points clear of the drop zone.